HTML Free Cities: Origins [v0.0.2.2.7] [Mimus Studios]

[ZaxarMillion]

Good idea, but this is going to be nightmarishly hard to execute properly, I wish you guys luck.

 

[Zeph3r]

Well. This has my interest. I really loved Free Cities. Till a couple years ago, when the modders turned what was a good game into a circle jerk over spreadsheets. Tried to retry it a month ago and couldn't even be assed to make it through the creation start-up. Hope this doesn't replicate what the modders turned FC into. *watched*

What's different between FC vanilla and modded? I've played both and haven't really noticed any major difference besides the more taboo content.

 

[Zeph3r]

As for the autogeneration, I couldn't agree more, this is the largest piece on my docket right now after getting all the engines to work. As for capturing the right audience, you are 100% correct, but the powertrip that FC players are used to is something I'm going to try to capture by the late stages of the game. The reason why I wanted to expand FC was that I loved the premise but was always disappointed at the lack of MC interactions.

Definitely an interesting concept and also agree that the lack of MC interactions in the FC was disappointing. Like others have said it's a harsh plan to execute as I believe that you'll have to really hit the nail on the head with getting the balance right, as some may be turned away if the start is way too difficult, and others may not stick around if it becomes way too easy way too quickly once we hit FC levels of powerfantasy. All the best either way!

 

[Hargan2]

What's different between FC vanilla and modded? I've played both and haven't really noticed any major difference besides the more taboo content.

It's not like the game massively changes, but in addition to the integrated SF and security mods that add the ability to raise and equip an army and use it, there's new facilities, new random events for both new and old future societies, and a lot of new later-game stuff and just a whole fuckload of improvements and content in general. There's toggles for the taboo content as well, which is good cause I stay far away from that shit. All in all, though, as an avid player of both versions I have no idea what the guy you replied to is complaining about, the games play practically identically, one just has more content.

 

[taler]

It's not like the game massively changes, but in addition to the integrated SF and security mods that add the ability to raise and equip an army and use it, there's new facilities, new random events for both new and old future societies, and a lot of new later-game stuff and just a whole fuckload of improvements and content in general. There's toggles for the taboo content as well, which is good cause I stay far away from that shit. All in all, though, as an avid player of both versions I have no idea what the guy you replied to is complaining about, the games play practically identically, one just has more content.

They made the UI more complicated to sort all the new content into sorta poorly designed tabs and such, that's probably annoying to some people. Once you get used to it as fine as a power user tool, but as a designer it's pretty horrible.

 

[McSweeney]

Seriously, dude. There is nothing wrong of taking inspiration, not to mention it is somewhat unique, enjoyable, and isn't blatant copy-and-paste from the original. If that is disrespectful, then every game must be one. The fc dev already abandoned their game, and as for the modders no one is forcing them, it's voluntarily their choice modding it, not to mention this 'modders' ignore the og developer rules, that is including 'pedo' content.

Making money of it isn't exactly that bad considering that their project is going to be ambitious, and no one wanted some moneyless job, hell everyone does, getting nothing out of it isn't going to make someone efforts and time put into it worth continuing. It isn't particularly new for games using others popularity, that is already a tactic in some in order to quickly grab popularity not only to games but also includes to youtubers (even famous people do it before), fanarts, and etc. As long it isn't purely cash-grab and has actual efforts put into, there is nothing to worry about.

Just because other people do shitty things, doesn't make it okay. And I don't have an issue with the dev making money, I have a problem with the dev making money off the backs of others. You have a ridiculously entitled point of view.

 

[Hargan2]

They made the UI more complicated to sort all the new content into sorta poorly designed tabs and such, that's probably annoying to some people. Once you get used to it as fine as a power user tool, but as a designer it's pretty horrible.

Ah, yes, that did annoy me until I got used to it. Especially when they added tabs to the slave screen. But I actually got so used to it that I don't change it back even though they added options to make everything look much more vanilla. The only thing I do do is disable the arcology display on the main screen cause it takes up too much space.

 

[nordic]

 

[SoyCristian]

I have not played the game, but several screenshots show menus identical to those of "master of Ranna" .... It does not give confidence at least for me.

 

[Hargan2]

I have not played the game, but several screenshots show menus identical to those of "master of Ranna" .... It does not give confidence at least for me.

The developer of Masters of Raana gave this dev permission to copy the UI elements, so it's not like the dev stole anything.

 

[SoyCristian]

The developer of Masters of Raana gave this dev permission to copy the UI elements, so it's not like the dev stole anything.

I understand, but if it doesn't say in the post I can't know.
He should put it I think, I don't think I'm the only one who thought of it.
Besides for giving credit if he was allowed to take it.

 

[picobyte]

The developer of Masters of Raana gave this dev permission to copy the UI elements

The original concept may be from

You must be registered to see the links

, not a game for here.

 

[mimusstudios]

The original concept may be from

You must be registered to see the links

, not a game for here.

I was actually heavily inspired by A Dark Room! Love that game!

 

[mimusstudios]

I understand, but if it doesn't say in the post I can't know.
He should put it I think, I don't think I'm the only one who thought of it.
Besides for giving credit if he was allowed to take it.

I absolutely agree. I added it in the dev notes.

 

[spm3ds]

I haven't even downloaded it yet and I'm excited about it. The concept sounds great, and even explaining about how certain parts might be a slow grind is really appreciated. I know this game takes some influence from Masters of Raana, and I really enjoy that. One thing I'll be specifically looking for is some really descriptive and downright dirty dialogue. While the mechanics and story hook me, I'd love to see bursts of flavored text all over the place. Looking forward to all the updates!

 

[Ceesko]

Looks like a Masters of Ranaa clone.

 

[AngryGorilla]

Why base it off Free Cities if its not a management game?

 

[mimusstudios]

Why base it off Free Cities if its not a management game?

It will be a management game, V0.0.1.2 (what I'm working on right now implements it. Should be out by next week). This was just a proof of concept to get some feedback and test out the UI to search for low-hanging fruit bugs on different browsers etc. V0.0.1.1 Is already released on our website with those bugs fixed, but 0.0.1.2 will be released here.

 

[Atlas]

Excellent start. Loved the original FC and I am very excited to play with the RPG elements. One thing I noticed, one day I worked 12 hours, but the game said I wasn't tired so I lost Obediance. This happened multiple times when I did 8 hour shifts. So it wasn't enough to work, I had to spam relax to waste more stamina to not lose Obedience.

 

[UnwrappedGodiva]

I absolutely agree, I was thinking of transitioning and just simply using the vector art system that FC uses. (...)

The current FreeCities (pregmod) still supports vector art but the main development is on WebGL portraits. This is much better than the original vector art or the other image packs: the WebGL characters can be viewed from any angle, they support different poses, you can zoom in or out, etc.

Regarding this game, I think that it would be better to skip the first phase or display prominently in the game a message saying that the grind in the first phase of the game is intentional and temporary (as you wrote here in the spoiler). Keep in mind that there are plenty of free games available here. New games are released every week, trying to grab the attention of new players. Players will try your game without knowing if it will suit their tastes or not, so it is important to enter the main part of the game relatively quickly. You do not have to reveal too much content early, but the main game mechanics, themes and goals should be visible after a few minutes. And it should be entertaining, at least for your target audience.

In the current version of your game, the first phase is a kind of long and boring introduction that prevents players from seeing how the rest of the game works. I expect that most players will give up before they even have a chance to discover that the game contains a map with several locations, that money and skills start to matter, that you can have quests, etc. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a player who tries your game for the first time and who is not sure about what to expect. After playing for 5 to 10 minutes, what will motivate that player to keep on playing your game instead of trying another one?

I am also wondering why it is called "Free Cities: Origin". Besides the concept of slavery, there does not seem to be much in common between the two games.

• Free Cities is a management game with a heavy focus on slave sexuality and large selection of fetishes. A dominant player has total control over a harem of slaves and can reshape their minds and bodies using torture, drugs and advanced surgery. Free Cities is set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world in which the science and technology have advanced beyond what we know today, even if the social interactions have regressed. The description of the arcology and of some events happening during the game borrow some elements that could be coming from Mad Max, Judge Dredd or Blade Runner.
• This game is very different: the user interface and the maps would be more suited to a fantasy/medieval theme instead of dark sci-fi. Slavery is mentioned, but without much focus on sexuality. This game does not seem to contain any torture, drugs, or body modifications. There isn't much transformation either: slaves can change their social ranks without any mental or physical changes.

Considering all these differences, I think that it would be better to change the name of this game and remove the reference to FC in order to avoid creating wrong expectations.